[Preliminary entry] One of the earliest Persian versions (according to Ethé, the first) of the popular Indic story-book known as Vikramacarita (Vikrama’s Adventures) or Siṃhāsanadvātriṃśakā (The thirty-two stories of the lion-throne), containing 32 stories of the deeds of king Vikramāditya (Persian: Bikramāǧīt) of Ujjayinī (Persian: Ujain), each told by one of the stauettes that supported king Vikrama’s throne, which is incidentally discovered by a later king, Bhoja. Each time he tries to mount the throne, one of the statuettes tells a story focusing on the generosity and valour of Vikramāditya.
The Siṃhāsanadvātriṃśakā was translated, or, adapted, several times during the Mughal Era. The present version was done by Čaturbhūjdās bin Mihrčand, a kāyastha (Persian: kāyath) of Sonpat, in the reign of Akbar (r. 1556-1605). Another version of the same collection of stories was commissioned by Akbar in 982/1574-75 and accomplished by ‘Abd al-Qādir Badā’ūnī under the title Nāma-yi Ḫiradafzā in 989/1581. We do not know, whether Čaturbhūǧdās and Badā’ūnī were aware of their respective works, neither do we have an exact date of this šāhnāma or Singhāsanbattīsī.
A. M.
v) Information on colophon; vi) Description of miniatures/illustrations; vii) Other remarks; viii) Information on catalogue(s)
Oxford, Bodleian library, Walker 118, 69 ff.
, viii)Sachau; Ethé 1889, p. 815, no 1324
.Sachau, Eduard - Ethé, Hermann, 1889, Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindustani and Pushto Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 1.
| Main Persian Title: | Šāhnāma or Singhāsanbattīsī |
| English Translation of Main Persian Title: | The thirty-two tales of the lion-throne |
| Translator: | Čaturbhūjdās bin Mihrčand |
| Original Sources: |
Vikramacarita.
Other Persian texts quoting this Original Source: Kišan Bilās, Singhāsan-Battīsī (1), Ḫirad-afzā. |
| Approximate period of composition: | 1556-1605 |
| Incipit: | سپاس باری تعلای جل جلاله و عم نواله |
| Commissioner: | Akbar |